Talking machine with an automatic disc changing device



May 29, 1956 E. BACHER 7 2,747,879

TALKING MACHINE WITH AN AUTOMATIC DISC CHANGING DEVICE Filed Jan. 16,1952 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

INVENTOQ Eric Backer ATTORNEY May 29, 1956' BACHER 2,747,879

TALKING MACHINE WITH AN AUTOMATIC DISC CHANGING DEVICE Fi led Jan. 16,1952 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOE Eric Backer.

ATTORNEY May 29, 1956 E. BACHER 2,747,879

TALKING MACHINE WITH AN AUTOMATIC DISC CHANGING DEVICE Filed Jan. 16,1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VE/V TOR.

Eric Backer.

United States Patent 1 2,747,879 TALKING MACHINE WITH AN AUTOMATIC DISCCHANGING DEVICE Eric Bacher, Yverdon, Switzerland, assignor to PaillardS. A., Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, a Swiss company Application January16, 1952, Serial No. 266,687 Claims priority, application SwitzerlandJuly 7, 1951 Claims. (Cl. 274-) Taking machines with a device forchanging discs automatically are already known wherein a deviceintroduces a time lag between the playing of two successive discs. Thesedevices are, however, very complicated and consequently substantiallyincrease the cost of the machine.

The object of the invention is to provide for a more simple constructionand thus a less expensive talking machine provided with a device of thischaracter. It relates to talking machine with an automatic disc changingdevice, provided with a device ensuring an interval of pause between theplaying of two successive discs and a cyclic device for controlling thechanging of discs.

The talking machine forming the subject of the present invention,comprises a mechanism producing, on the one hand, the stopping of thecyclic device during an operation of changing discs and, on the otherhand, the setting in rotation of a shaft to which is secured one end ofa wire, the wire being wound on the shaft during the rotation of thelatter and acting on a control member for again engaging the cyclicdevice for terminating the said operation when a predetermined length ofwire has been wound on to the shaft.

Two forms of construction of the subject of the invention are shown byway of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figs. 1 and 2 show in plan a first form of construction of the subjectof the invention in two different positions of operation.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a detail of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 shows in plan a second form of construction.

With reference to Fig. 1, the said talking machine is provided with acyclic device provided with a control wheel 1, pivoted at 2 and providedwith teeth over its entire periphery with the exception of two sectors3:; and 3b which are not toothed. The wheel 1 is in engagement withadriving pinion 5 which is secured to the shaft 6 carrying the discturntable (not shown). The control wheel 1 carries a cam 7 whichco-operates with a finger 8 provided at the end of a lever 9 pivoted at10. The arm 9 is subjected to the action of a spring 11, which is forthe purpose of maintaining the finger 8 in contact with the cam 7.

A shaft 12 (Figs. 1 and 3) is pivoted in a bearing 13 of the arm 9 andcarries a toothed wheel 14 having a hub 15 of cylindrical shape. Aspring ring 16 prevents axial movement of the shaft 12 in the bearing13. A pad 17 is provided so that, when the lever 9 is in the positionshown in Fig. 2, the hub 15 of the wheel 14 is caused to bear againstthe pad 17 by the action of the spring 11. In this position, a pin 18secured to the pinion 5 comes into contact with the teeth of the toothedwheel 14 at each revolution of the pinion 5.

The control Wheel 1 carries two stops 4a and 4b and two ramps 19a and1%, which are adapted to co-operate with a lever 29 pivoted at 21 and ofwhich the end 22 is bent towards the control wheel 1. The lever issubjected to the action of a spring 23 which tends to hold it pressedagainst a stop 24.

A tensioning device is formed by a lever 25, pivoted at 26, carrying apulley 27 at one of its ends its other end carrying a finger 28 adaptedto abut against a cam 29 pivoted' at 30. A pliant member formed by'awire 31, is secured at one of its ends to the shaft 12, passes aroundthe pulley 27 and is secured at its other end to the lever 20. The cam29 is secured to a button for the manual adjustment of the duration ofthe pause. The lever 25 is subjected to the action of a spring 32 forconstantly maintaining the wire 31 tensioned.

The wheel 1 makes a complete revolution on each changing of a disc andcontrols the various operations necessary for this change. When thenon-toothed sector 3a is opposite the driving pinion 5, the pick-up isin position for playing a disc. The pinion 5 then turns without drivingthe wheel 1.

When the disc has been played, the pick-up controls, by a mechanism notshown in the drawing, the engagement of the pinion 5 and the wheel 1,and the latter is driven until the sector 3b is opposite the pinion. Atthis moment the stop 4b abuts against the end 22 of the lever 20. inthis position of the wheel 1, the pick-up is in the raised position sothat the needle is not in contact with the disc.

The cam 7 allows the lever 9 to pivot under the action of the spring 11until the hub 15 of the toothed wheel 14 abuts against the pad 17. Inthis position the wheel 14 is driven in jerks by the pin 18 of thepinion 5 and the wire 31 is wound around the shaft 12 whilst causing thelever 25 to pivot in a counter-clockwise direction. The hub 15', hearingagainst the pad 17, serves as a brake and prevents the toothed wheel 14from turning rear- Wardly under the tension of the wire 31. On the otherhand, the spring 23 is of sufiicient strength to press the lever 28against the stop 24 in spite of the tension of the wire 31, which isdetermined by the spring 32.

When the finger 23 of the lever 25 abuts against the edge of theadjusting cam 29, the wire 31 pulls the lever 20 against the action ofits spring 23 and causes it to pivot in such a manner that its enddisengages the stop 4b and bears against the ramp 1911 so as to causethe wheel 1 to turn and engaging it with the pinion 5.

The cam 7, which is angularly secured to the wheel 1, then repels thelever 9 through the medium of the finger 8. As the hub 15 is no longerpressed against the pad 17, the wheel is released and the wire 31 isunwound under the action of the tensioning device 25, which returns toits initial position, as also lever 20, which again bears against thestop 24 under the action of its spring 23. The lever 20 is thus in aposition for stopping the wheel 1 by its stop 4a at the moment at whichthe nontoothed sector 3a is opposite the pinion 5, that is to say whenthe pick-up is resting on the disc to be played.

When the pick-up reaches the centre of the disc, it controls, by adevice not shown, the rotation of the lever 2t} for meshing the wheel 1with the pinion 5 by engaging part 19a and the cycle of operationsre-commences.

It will be seen that by more or less turning the cam 29 the distancebetween the finger 23 and the edge of the cam is varied that is to saythe time between the beginning of the pause and the moment at which thelever 29 commences to pivot. in the case when it is desired to eliminatecompletely the time of pause b tween two discs, the lever 20 may be sopositioned that its end does not stop the stop 4/); the wheel 1 willthen pass the non-toothed sector 3b by reason of its movement.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the wire 31 passes around a pulley33 which is pivoted on the arm 36 of a lever 34 and is anchored at apoint 35a, of which the position may be adjusted (35b, 35c, 35d) by aman: ual control of the duration of the period of pause. The lever 34 ispivoted at 37 and has two further arms 38 and 39. A spring 40, securedat one of its ends to the arm 36, maintains the wire 31 tensioned. Thearm 39 has a bent end 41, adapted to co-operate with the stop 4b.,whilst the arm 38 is adapted to co-operate with the ramp 1%. Theoperation of this modification is analogous to that of the first form ofconstruction, but in this case, the same lever as serves for tensioningalso produces the stopping of the wheel 1 by means of the stop 4b andengages the wheel 1 with the pinion 5 by means of the ramp 19b. As theposition of rest of the lever 34 depends on the position 35 of the pointof attachment of the wire 31, it is necessary that the bent end 41 ofthe arm 39 is of sufficient length so as to be capable of co-operatingwith the stop 4b for all possible positions of rest of the said lever,if necessary with the exception of the position 35d, so that for thisposition the wheel 1 is not stopped and passes the sector 31; withoutteeth on its movement.

Instead of providing a bent end 41 at the end of the arm 39, the finger4b, forming a stop, may be replaced by a plate of which the main planeis perpendicular to the plane of the wheel 1 and directed along a radiusof this Wheel. In this case it is possible to cause the end of a singlearm to co-operate with this stop on the one hand and a ramp on the otherhand, thus enabling the lever 34 to be of simpler shape.

The devices described permit of considerable gear reduction and thebraking applied by the pad against the hub of the wheel 14 replaces withadvantage the ratchet wheel and the pawl which are otherwise necessary.Further, the braking disappears automatically when the hub 15 is spacedaway from the pad, which allows of great simplicity in the mountingdescribed. Further, the wire allows of a simple and easy connection ofthe various elements, which are sometimes accessible with diflicultyfrom the outside of a complicated mechanism whilst enabling the manualcontrol for the duration of a pause to be placed at a very accessibleposition.

In a modification a toothed pinion of very small diameter may beprovided on the shaft 6 of the pinion 5, the toothed wheel 14 beingcapable of being placed directly in gear with this pinion, so that thebraking or" the hub against the pad 17 may be omitted. The shaft 6 mayalso carry a worm, the toothed wheel 15 being then located in a planeparallel to that of the said shaft 6.

It will be understood that the clutch device of the cyclic devicedescribed has been selected as an example and that the wire 31 may beused for controlling a clutch of any type.

Further, it is not necessary for the shaft 6 to be that which carriesthe disc turntable. In fact any shaft driven in rotation by the motorfor driving the disc turntable may constitute the shaft 6.

I claim:

1. In a talking machine with an automatic changing device, an apparatusfor insuring a pause between the playing of two succeeding records andcomprising, a cyclic mechanism means for controlling the change ofrecords, said means including a control wheel and a cam positioned onsaid control wheel, a pinion means operatively associated with saidcontrol wheel for intermittently driving said cyclic mechanism includingsaid control wheel, a first pivoted lever positioned in operativerelationship with said control wheel, said lever having a finger memberat one end thereof, a first spring means for urging said finger memberon the end of said lever against said cam, said spring means beingoperatively connected to said lever at the other end thereof, a shaftjournaled in said lever at the end thereof and adjacent to the point atwhich said spring means is operatively connected thereto, a wheel fixedto said shaft and engageable with said pinion, said cam controlling theposition of said first lever and thereby the engagement of the wheelwith said pinion, a second pivoted lever positioned in operativerelationship with said control wheel, a second spring means operativelyconnected to said second lever at one end thereof for urging said secondlever to a position for stopping said control wheel, stop meanspositioned on said control wheel for engaging said second lever at oneend thereof, ramp means positioned on said control wheel adjacent saidstop means for engaging said second lever at one end thereof after saidend disengagcs the said stop means, a flexible member having one endattached to said shaft, said flexible member being wound on said shaftduring engagement of said wheel with said pinion, said flexible memberbeing operatively associated with said second lever, whereby said secondlever is moved for restarting said cyclic mechanism including thecontrol wheel when a predetermined length of said flexible member hasbeen wound on said shaft.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pinion drives a turntable andcarries a pin, and the wheel fixed to said shaft has teeth engageablewith said pin during a predetermined operating phase of said cam, andthe wheel fixed to said shaft has a hub attached thereto, and a frictionshaft is provided and is engageable by said hub to brake the shaft, andwherein said control wheel of said cylic mechanism comprises a gearpartly toothed and having two toothless sectors, and said pinion isintermittently in mesh with the gear and disengaged therefrom whenopposite one of said toothless sectors, whereby said spring urged secondlever may be caused to swing and be urged against a stop member therebybeing swung to a position for stopping the control wheel.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control wheel of said cyclicmechanism comprises a gear partly toothed and having two toothlesssectors, and the pinion is intermittently in mesh with the gear anddisengaged therefrom when opposite one of the toothless sectors, andwherein said stop means comprises a pair of stop members and said rampmeans comprises a ramp adjacent each of said stop members, whereby saidspring urged second lever may be caused to swing and be urged against astop member thereby being swung to a position for stopping the controlwheel and whereby said flexible member may cause said second lever toengage a ramp means and to cause the meshing of the geared control wheelwith said pinion to restart said cyclic mechanism including the controlwheel when one of the toothless sectors is opposite the pinion, andwherein said apparatus also comprises an adjustable yieldable deviceoperatively associated to said flexible member, whereby the duration ofthe pause may be controlled.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control wheel of said cyclicmechanism comprises a gear partly toothed and having toothless sectors,and the pinion is intermittently in mesh with the gear and disengagedtherefrom when opposite one of the toothless sectors, wherein saidsecond spring urged lever comprises at least two arms engageable whenthe pinion is opposite one of the toothless sectors, one of said armsbeing engageable with a gear stop for stopping the gear and the otherarm engageable with a gear ramp for meshing the gear with the pinion torestart the gear, and wherein the two-arm lever carries a pulley guidingthe flexible member and the other end of same is secured to a stop ofvariable position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 including a shaft to which said pinion isfixed, a turntable on said shaft, a pin on said pinion, and said wheelengageable with said pinion having teeth for so engaging said pinion atthe said pin thereof during a predetermined operating phase of said cam,a friction pad, and a hub attached to said wheel, said pad beingengageable by the said hub to brake said shaft journaled in said firstlever.

2,559,117 Falk July 3, 1951 Alexandersson Sept. 30, 1947'

